BOTTOM LINE WEATHER POINTS
– Teams and fans endured strong winds and heavy downpours.
– Commish says Game 5 will pick up at the point it was suspended.
– The dates for Game 6 and 7 will be on hold until weather clears.
– Teams and fans endured strong winds and heavy downpours.
– Commish says Game 5 will pick up at the point it was suspended.
– The dates for Game 6 and 7 will be on hold until weather clears.
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Fans watch Game 5 of the World Series in a downpour.Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig struck out last night when he decided to give the go ahead for Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia. The rain was already falling before game time and by the fifth inning; the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays were playing in a monsoon.
By the time officials suspended play shortly after 11pm, the infield was a sea of mud and the grass was as slick as ice. The game was tied 2-2 and will be resumed at the point it was stopped, but there was no decision made on when that would be.
Selig said the game would resume when the weather permits, "whether it's one day or two or three or whatever," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The weather forecast left little room for optimism that the game would continue tonight, with rain, wind and temperatures in the 40s.
"We'll stay here if we have to celebrate Thanksgiving here," he said.
Selig added that the game would start at night because "the fans bought tickets for a night game, and it will be the same starting time, whether it's Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night or whenever."
Because of the uncertainty regarding the resumption of the game, the dates for Games 6 and 7, if necessary, are in a similar state of limbo.
Selig's decision to start the game could be widely second-guessed, as the insistence that the game continue despite field conditions that went distinctly downhill after the fourth inning. The ballpark's ground crew began throwing down bags and bags full of a drying agent to soak up some of the mud on the infield, but it didn't take long before the practice became futile.
"The conditions around the plate were real bad," Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz said. "It was real bad for the hitter, real bad for me, and for everybody. It was hard to feel the ball in your hand. When I tried to throw it back, I knew it was bad for [Phils pitcher Cole Hamels], too."
Tim Welke, the chief of the umpiring crew, said the game could continue as long as the mound and the area around the batter's box were not compromised.
"Guys weren't falling off the mound pitching and delivering, and the hitters weren't slipping out of the box," Welke said. "So we felt comfortable going. But due to the velocity of the rain, the grounds crew couldn't keep up with keeping the field. So at that point, we were going to stop."
